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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Michael Thomas Expected To Start Season On Saints’ PUP List

August 31st, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Michael Thomas‘ foot injury will sideline him for nearly eight more weeks. The Saints are expected to stash their All-Pro wide receiver on the reserve/PUP list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The sixth-year standout underwent surgery later than the Saints wanted, causing a rift between the parties. While Thomas and Sean Payton are believed to be on better terms, the Saints will still be in line to play their first five games without their top wide receiver. Thomas must miss the first six weeks, but the Saints have a Week 6 bye. This could allow Thomas to play in New Orleans’ final 12 games.

New Orleans is transitioning to a new quarterback for the first time in 15 years, moving from Drew Brees to Jameis Winston. After the team rostered Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders last year, Winston will not have the same weapons Brees did. That said, Thomas missed much of the 2020 slate due to injuries and a one-game suspension. His stock has dipped a bit after posting back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons and setting the NFL’s single-season reception record (149) in 2019.

In addition to Thomas’ absence, the Saints were without Tre’Quan Smith for a chunk of training camp. While Marquez Callaway has played well and stands to be a key target for Winston, the Sanders release and Thomas’ surgery decision will leave the Saints more vulnerable at wideout than they have been going into a season in many years.

Saints To Release RB Devonta Freeman

August 31st, 2021 at 9:03am CST by Sam Robinson

Devonta Freeman‘s time with the Saints will end after exactly a month. After a late-summer signing, New Orleans will release the veteran back, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

After an injury cut Freeman’s Giants season short last year, he returned to the NFC South on a July 31 deal with the Saints. The Saints’ Alvin Kamara– and Latavius Murray-topped depth chart does not feature much work for other backs, and Freeman will head back to free agency.

The former Pro Bowler was a hotter commodity in 2020, having made several visits before his in-season Giants signing. But Freeman was believed to have set too high an asking price, leading to his lengthy 2020 stay in free agency. He ended up with the Giants and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 54 totes in the wake of Saquon Barkley‘s Week 2 injury.

The Giants waived Freeman in January, clearing a path for him to join the Bills during their playoff run. Freeman caught on with Buffalo’s practice squad. The former Super Bowl LI starter did not see any postseason action with the Bills.

While last year’s injury spared Freeman an extensive workload, marking the second time in three years he finished a season with fewer than 60 carries, it also docked his stock. Once the NFL’s highest-paid running back — via his 2017 extension with Atlanta — the 29-year-old veteran is running out of chances.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/21

August 30th, 2021 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here. Teams have until 3pm CT Tuesday to pare their rosters down to 53 players.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Darron Lee

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Saints Sign Damion Square

August 27th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have signed nose tackle Damion Square, per the league wire. To make room, they’ve released fullback Sutton Smith.

Square spent 2014-20 with the Chargers, re-upping with the team in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. He started 24 games for the Bolts in total and enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2018 — 6.5 sacks on a 51% defensive snap rate. However, Los Angeles’ new coaching staff did not bring him back for an eighth season.

Square hooked on with the Browns earlier this year, only to get released earlier this month. The Browns didn’t necessarily need him, after adding the likes of Jadeveon Clowney, Takk McKinley and Malik Jackson. They also have defensive tackle Andrew Billings back from his 2020 opt-out.

The 32-year-old will now try to make an impression on the Saints with just days to go before the final cut to 53.

Saints To Start Jameis Winston

August 27th, 2021 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints will name Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback to open the year (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Winston, hot off of a strong preseason performance, will lead the charge while Taysom Hill resumes his gadget/wild card role. 

Winston looked strong against the Jaguars on Monday, posting 123 yards and two touchdowns while completing nine of his ten throws. While he was interception-prone in Tampa (to put it politely), he was calm, cool, and accurate in the pocket. Hill, meanwhile, went 11-for-20 with 138 yards and a touchdown. Up until this point, Saints head coach Sean Payton kept a pretty tight lid on his plans.

“I’m not going to have weekly or daily updates,” Payton said just last week. “These guys are both working hard.”

Winston now has a prime opportunity to lead the post-Drew Brees Saints offense. He’ll also have a chance to cash in. His modest one-year, $5.5MM deal includes $7MM in incentives, so a strong year could more than double his earnings.

Winston, 27, attempted just eleven passes last year for the Saints. In his last season with the Bucs in 2019, he threw 33 touchdowns while also lobbing an incredible 30 interceptions. This time around, he’s hoping to fix that ratio.

Colts, Saints Tried To Claim Kahale Warring

August 25th, 2021 at 9:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots snagged Kahale Warring on Tuesday, but they weren’t the only contenders with claims on the former Texans tight end. The Colts and Saints also submitted waiver wire claims for Warring, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 

Ultimately, the Pats won out thanks to their higher priority, by way of their disappointing 2020. The 2019 third-rounder will help to fortify New England’s TE group, which has lost Dalton Keene, a 2020 third-round pick, and Troy Fumagalli to injury.

Of course, the Patriots were already rock-solid up top, thanks to newcomers Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. At the same time, Henry is down with an injury of his own, so the Patriots had extra incentive to pounce on warring.

Warring, 24, has yet to produce as a pro. He’s got just three catches across two seasons, most of which were spent on IR. Still, scouts loved his potential coming out of San Diego State. He’s got upside between his 6’5″ frame and surprising athleticism — just ask Bill Belichick, Chris Ballard, or Mickey Loomis.

Saints Place CB Brian Poole On IR

August 24th, 2021 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Veteran cornerbacks continue to cycle off the Saints’ roster. They placed Brian Poole on injured reserve Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 tweets. Poole is now ineligible to play for New Orleans this season.

The Saints signed Poole just before training camp started. While the former Falcons and Jets slot corner could play for a non-Saints team in 2021, he would need an injury settlement to do so. Either way, more cornerback issues have surfaced for the Saints, who are looking at outside options.

[RELATED: Saints Likely To Add CB Help]

While the Saints gave Poole barely veteran-minimum money and guaranteed him just $137K on a one-year deal, this strips another proven corner from their roster. Poole, 28, was one of the league’s top slot defenders over the last two years, representing one of the Jets’ few bright spots in that span. Pro Football Focus graded the former Falcons UDFA as a top-12 corner in 2019 and ’20.

New Orleans made Janoris Jenkins a cap casualty before free agency and has since seen Marshon Lattimore venture onto the suspension radar — for a March arrest — and prospective starter Patrick Robinson retire. The Saints also cut Prince Amukamara recently. They still have the likes of P.J. Williams, Ken Crawley and third-round rookie Paulson Adebo on the roster. But an outside addition should be expected soon.

Additionally, the Saints placed defensive tackle Jalen Dalton and offensive lineman Ethan Greenidge on IR, per Wilson. They also waived punter Nolan Cooney and waived defensive end Marcus Willoughby with an injury designation.

Saints Place Tommylee Lewis On IR

August 21st, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Ben Levine

To make room for kicker Aldrick Rosas and safety Jeff Heath, the Saints effectively moved on from a veteran today. The team announced that they’ve placed Tommylee Lewis on injured reserve.

[RELATED: Saints, S Jeff Heath Agree To Deal]

While the NFL recently made it easier for players to return from injury, that still doesn’t apply to players placed on the IR prior to the regular season. In order for a player to be “eligible to be designated for return” from IR/NFI, they need to be on the 53-man roster after final cuts (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter). This means players who are placed on IR during preseason are effectively sidelined for the season. It’s uncertain what ailment Lewis is dealing with, but the 28-year-old could conceivably negotiate an injury settlement if he hopes to see the field in 2021.

Lewis has spent the majority of his NFL career in New Orleans, seeing time in 39 games. He made a name for himself as a key returner, collecting 45 punts for 404 yards and 27 kicks for 617 yards. He also got some run on offense, compiling 30 touches for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

The former undrafted free agent signed with the Panthers last August but was waived before the start of the regular season. He caught on once again with the Saints, and he proceeded to get into five games. He re-signed with the organization back in July.

QB Jameis Winston To Start Saints’ Second Preseason Game

August 21st, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Ben Levine

After Taysom Hill started the Saints preseason opener, the team is making a change to their starting lineup. Jameis Winston will start Monday night’s game against the Jaguars, according to head coach Sean Payton (and via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

Payton has said throughout the preseason that the team will continue to rotate between Hill and Winston. In other words, we shouldn’t look too much into Winston’s start on Monday. More interesting will be how the team handles both quarterbacks throughout the exhibition; if one of the two players plays primarily with the starters, it could give us a clue into who will be starting Week 1.

As the Saints usher in the post-Drew Brees era, Hill and Winston are the two candidates to take the starting gig. Hill completed eight of his 12 passes for 81 yards and an interception during his start against the Ravens, while Winston completed seven of his 12 attempts for 96 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The team is also rostering Ian Book, who also tossed an interception during the preseason opener.

The Saints still refuse to show their hand at the quarterback position. When asked if any of the players had the lead for the starting job, Payton refused to give any information.

“I’m not going to have weekly or daily updates,” Payton said (via Michael Davis Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “These guys are both working hard.”

Saints, S Jeff Heath Agree To Deal

August 20th, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Veteran safety Jeff Heath has secured another opportunity. The Saints have reached an agreement with the former Cowboys and Raiders defender, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Heath joined fellow safety Andrew Sendejo at a workout Friday, and the Saints are going with the younger of the two. Heath is not especially young, by NFL terms, at 30. But he has been a starter for most of the past four seasons. The Saints have been busy with additions Friday, having just signed kicker Aldrick Rosas as well.

The Cowboys turned to Heath as a starter from 2017-19, and the former UDFA caught on with the Raiders in free agency last year. With Las Vegas, Heath was a part-time starter. But he intercepted three passes. For his career, the eight-year veteran has 11 picks and has made 59 starts.

Pro Football Focus viewed Heath’s 2020 season fondly, slotting him as a top-20 safety. Nevertheless, the Raiders cut bait halfway through Heath’s two-year deal, releasing him shortly after the draft.

The Saints are bringing back their safety tandem from 2020 — Marcus Williams and Malcolm Jenkins — and used some deft cap maneuvering to find room for Williams’ franchise tag. Heath stands to provide insurance behind New Orleans’ starters.

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